These are Trader Joe’s most wanted foods — Customer Choice Awards winners revealed

Brooke Steinberg
·6 min read
1
These are Trader Joe’s most wanted foods — Customer Choice Awards winners revealed

The winners of one of the most highly-anticipated yearly awards have been announced.

Trader Joe’s announced the winners of the 15th annual Customer Choice Awards on Monday — and there are some unexpected first-time winners.

For 15 years in a row, the grocery store brand asked customers to share their favorite TJ’s products.

Certain items have topped the list for many years and have made their way to Trader Joe’s Product Hall of Fame, including Trader Joe’s Mandarin Orange Chicken, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, Unexpected Cheddar, Soy Chorizo and Peanut Butter Filled Pretzel Nuggets.

The Hall of Fame products have consistently won in their category — or in multiple categories — so many times that TJ’s retired them to the separate and permanent Hall of Fame category, and they’re no longer in the running for the Customer Choice Awards to give other products a chance in the spotlight.

However, there are still recurring winners in the awards. The Trader Joe’s Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips took the top spot as the overall fan-favorite product for the second year in a row.

Here are the winners of Trader Joe’s 15th annual Customer Choice Awards:

Overall favorite product

Winner: Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips

Customers love this iconic snack, which has now topped the overall list for the second year in a row.

These gluten-free chips are “spicy, ire-zest-tible little scrolls made from stone ground corn masa” and “cut and rolled a little thicker for additional crunch.”

Runners-up:

  • 2. Steamed Chicken Soup Dumplings

  • 3. Kimbap

  • 4. Steamed Pork & Ginger Soup Dumplings

  • 5. Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

Favorite drink

Winner: Apple Cider

Apple Cider may be a seasonal drink, but it still topped the charts as a customer favorite.

TJ’s customers reportedly love all things apple cider, including the Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar and Organic Sparkling Cider Vinegar Beverages.

Runners-up:

  • 2. French Market Sparkling Lemonade

  • 3. Triple Ginger Brew (seasonal)

  • 4. 100% Tangerine Juice

  • 5. Non-Dairy Brown Sugar Flavored Oat Creamer

Favorite cheese

Winner: Goat Cheese

Trader Joe’s customers agree that goat cheese is the GOAT.

The store has multiple options for goat cheese lovers, such as Crumbled or Chevrè with Honey.

Runners-up:

  • 2. Syrah Soaked Toscano Cheese Spread & Dip (limited)

  • 3. Burrata

  • 4. Toscano Cheese with Black Pepper

  • 5. English Farmhouse Cheddar with Caramelized Onions

Favorite produce

Winner: Bananas

Customers love bananas a whole bunch. Trader Joe’s credits the “unbeatable price” — just 19 cents — and the organic option for the love of bananas among customers.

People go bananas for this produce product, and this year marks the fifth time bananas copped the top produce spot, sending it to the Hall of Fame.

Runners-up:

  • 2. Teeny Tiny Avocados

  • 3. Honeycrisp Apples

  • 4. Persian Cucumbers

  • 5. Lemony Arugula Basil Complete Salad Kit

Favorite appetizer

Winner: Creamy Spinach & Artichoke Dip

This product is so versatile, TJ’s customers love to eat it with tortilla chips, on top of a burger or tucked into a tortilla.

Runners-up:

  • 2. Mac and Cheese Bites

  • 3. Parmesan Pastry Pups

  • 4. Greek Spanakopita

  • 5. Vegetable Bird’s Nests with Soy Dipping Sauce

Favorite breakfast and brunch

Winner: Hashbrowns

It’s hard not to love a hashbrown, and the convenience of this TJ’s product is part of what makes it so beloved.

As Trader Joe’s says, “No one wants to wash, peel, and shred potatoes when they wake.” All you need to do for these hashbrowns is heat and eat.

Runners-up:

  • 2. Chocolate Croissants

  • 3. Almond Croissants

  • 4. Double Chocolate Croissants (limited)

  • 5. Chicken Sausage Breakfast Patties

Favorite lunch and dinner

Winner: Butter Chicken with Basmati Rice

This year is the first year the Butter Chicken with Basmati Rice topped the list for favorite lunch and dinner.

The meal consists of “chunks of tender, tandoor-style Chicken in a rich, tomato & onion-based sauce—along with authentic Indian spices, and fragrant rice.”

Runners-up:

  • 2. Chicken Tikka Masala

  • 3. Steamed Pork & Ginger Soup Dumplings

  • 4. Vegetable Fried Rice

  • 5. Steamed Chicken Soup Dumplings

Favorite bath, body and home

Winner: Brazil Nut Body Butter (limited)

This limited-edition summer product is the origin of the obsession with Brazil Nut in TJ’s stores.

“Its mega-moisturizing power and salted-caramel & pistachio scent have made it number one in our ‘do-not-eat’ category,” Trader Joe’s said.

Runners-up:

  • 2. Daily Facial Sunscreen SPF 40

  • 3. Coconut Body Butter

  • 4. Lavender Spray Hand Sanitizer

  • 5. Eight Dripless Candles (seasonal)

Favorite snack

Winner: Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips

No surprise here — the overall winner is also the winner of the favorite snack category. These are clearly a favorite among Trader Joe’s customers.

Runners-up:

  • 2. Organic Elote Corn Chip Dippers

  • 3. World’s Puffiest White Cheddar Corn Puffs

  • 4. Crunchy Curls

  • 5. Patio Potato Chips (limited)

Favorite sweet treat

Winner: Sublime Ice Cream Sandwiches

They’re so sublime, they were crowned with the top spot.

These sandwiches are chocolate chip cookies sandwiching vanilla ice cream and rolled in even more chocolate chips.

Runners-up:

  • 2. Mint Chip Ice Cream

  • 3. Hold the Cone! Chocolate Chip

  • 4. Hold the Cone! Chocolate

  • 5. Almond Kringle (seasonal)